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New
Nutrition Labeling Proposed for Meat and Poultry
Auburn, Feb. 7--New
nutrition labeling requirements for meat and poultry, providing
consumers with more information about fat, calories and cholesterol
content, have been proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The new nutrition
labeling requirements for raw ground beef and chicken are comparable
to existing requirements for multi-ingredient products such as
sausage, luncheon meat, ground pork with seasonings and bacon, says
Dr. Barbara Struempler, Extension nutritionist with the Alabama
Cooperative Extension System. Current labeling on multi-ingredient
products also allow a lean percentage statement on the labels when
the products do not meet
low-fat labeling criteria.
Under the new rule,
nutrition information for major cuts of steak, pork tenderloin,
chicken and turkey meats will be required either on the label by the
manufacturer or by the retailer at the point of purchase.
The proposed new
requirement stems from the voluntary nutrition labeling regulation
that stipulates if less than 60 percent of companies are voluntarily
providing this information, the USDA's Food
Safety Inspection Service can initiate rules requiring
nutrition labeling. In the last two surveys conducted by
USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service, less than 60 percent of the
companies evaluated were participating in the voluntary nutrition
labeling program.
SOURCE: Dr. Barbara
Struempler (bstruemp@aces.edu),
Extension Nutritionist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (334)
844-2217
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